The Knights and Dames of the Diocese of Tucson gathered at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church for a 2026 Lenten Retreat on 28 March 2026. Reverend Samuel Jandeh served as Retreat Director. His theme was titled “Perseverance in Faith”. He reminded us that our Faith needs to be nourished. Faith is a theological virtue infused by God and is a free human act of total submission of intellect and will to God.
In his first session, Father Samuel spoke about Faith, Wars, and Persecutions. No person needs faith to know it; you just need to be human. He shared the difference between positive laws and natural laws. Natural law, the moral wisdom God has written into every human heart. Think of natural law as the moral foundation that exists before any government writes a statute. Positive law is the practical expression of how a community organizes itself. It’s also why the Church often speaks about laws that are “unjust” not merely because they are unpopular, but because they violate the deeper moral order.
For Personal Reflection: In what ways has the heroic courage of the persecuted throughout the world, positively or negatively affected my faith?
The second session discussed covert persecutions through modern ideology. The Devil promotes secularism through the wrong use of scripture. As Christians we must avoid evil and embrace the good. By being quiet, we allow the Devil to thrive. In parts of the world today, persecution of religious believers does not always take the form of open violence or explicit bans. Instead, it often appears covertly, through cultural and ideological pressures that gradually restrict the free expression of faith. These pressures arise when modern ideologies, whether political, economic, or social—treat religious belief as irrelevant, irrational, or even harmful.
For Personal Reflection: How has relativism affected me, my loved ones, and the practice of my faith? How can I politely reject this trend as a way of taking part in the Church’s Mission?
The third session explored our love for the holy scriptures. By knowing the scriptures, we can live our faith in love. Nothing about you is hidden. Your spirit knows. Our love for the Holy Scriptures flows from the simple truth that in these sacred words, God speaks to His people. We cherish Scripture because it draws us into communion with Christ, the Word made flesh. For example, the ten commandments have never changed. Human nature does not change over time.
For Personal Reflection: Do you have favorite scripture passages that you refer to from time to time based on your circumstances in life?
“Let Us Pray – May we persevere in our faith, so that we may be among those who will be saved at the end of our earthly pilgrimage – Amen”
